Health research policy and priorities

PRESENTED BY: AJIT SUBEDI AND GROUPS 7th SEMESTER BACHLLOR IN PHARMACY KARNALI COLLAGE OF HEALTH SCIENCE GAUSHALA,KATHMANDU

Research

Research as defined by the World Health Organization “strategy on research for health as the development of knowledge with the aim of understanding health challenges and mounting an improved response to them”. This definition, in the research for health strategy, covers a spectrum of research, which spans five generic areas of activity: measuring the problem; understanding its cause(s); elaborating solutions; translating the solutions.

Preliminary Introduction

It is an agency of the Public Health service established in 1990 to “provide indexing, abstracting ,translating , publishing and other services leading to a more effective and timely dissemination of information on research , demonstration projects and evaluations with respect to health care delivery…”The Health Research System creates a systematic approach to health research development. It is a system for planning, coordinating, managing monitoring and evaluating health research activities and resources for equitable national development.

• The function of the Health Research Policy (NHRP) should give a definite direction for the promotion, implementation, management and utilization of all aspects of health research in Nepal.

• The role of the policy is to provide health information to His Majesty's Government (HMG) for evidence based health policy formulation. .

• The policy promotes health research activities in its broader dimensions with intersect oral and multi-disciplinary participation.

• The policy assures networking and collaborating among all the stakeholders in health research as well as the utilization of health research findings. .• The Health Research Policy should institutes the

National Health Research System.

Objectives of Health research system• To develop a broad strategic vision for health research

including short- term and long- term health research strategies.

• To develop a National Health Research Policy, Health Research Agenda, and Health Research Priorities.

• To link health research to national and local health priorities.• To develop standard procedures and a mechanism to ensure

ethics, equity, accountability and transparency in the health research system.

• To promote coordination, collaboration, and partnership in health research.

Functions of Health research systemStewardship: Quality and effective leadership is required to promote an efficient health research system.Capacity development: Appropriately trained human resources are essential for research promotion capacity development. This training includes development skills and ethical review skills. Development of a critical mass of personnel in this area is essential. Institutional capacity development in terms of research facilities (research laboratory), educational/training institutions and centers need to be further developed, sustained and networked.

• Knowledge management: The system will generate new knowledge for health development and research findings will be utilized for policy making to provide better health for all.

• Resource mobilization: This involves the proper mobilization of human , financial, and other required resources including the generation of funds.

• Networking/collaboration: A mechanism is established to promote networking/collaboration among all stakeholders involved in health research.

Organization Structure ForNational Health Research System Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC) (Central body) Executive Board (NHRC)

Implementing Body for NHRC (Chairman/Member Secretary)

Committees

Ethical Review Committees Networking/collaborating partnersAs per the Ethical Refers to all stake holders involved in health Guidelines for Health research .Includes all partners research Research in Nepal Resource institutions, WHO,MOH,INGO’s Donors. Mobilization Unit Responsibilities for Financial and Personnel development includes: MoH, MoF,NPC

Research Management Team Responsibilities for coordination, monitoring, evaluation, and utilization. Includes officers from Research, Adm, Fiscal. Library, and partner Institutions

Health Research system policy statement

• The Health Research Policy strives for the achievement of better health for all through health research with an emphasis on equity, social justice and ethics. The policy aims to establish linkages between health research and the National Health Policy of His Majesty's Government.• The policy promotes health research in all aspects.

The policy seeks to ensure availability of human and financial resources required for health research.

• This policy seeks to collaborate and network with all major stakeholders involved in health research, while at the same time, endeavoring to promote inter-sectoral participation and international linkages.• In order to facilitate the success of this policy

it will be necessary to establish a National Health Research System.

Strategies• The Health Research Policy will function in

collaboration with the National Health Policy of the Ministry of Health and the Science and Technology.• The short term and long-term plan for the National

Health Research Policy will be developed and the mechanism for monitoring and evaluation will be strengthened.• The health research capacity will be continually

developed and maintained to provide better health for all with judicious utilization of available resources.

• The research policy will promote on-going development of the health research culture by incorporating the core curriculum for health research at the Bachelor Level health science program and by providing health research grants and awards as well as by conducting health system research methodology training programs.

• The health research database will be improved by networking/collaborating with all the stakeholders involved in health research. Evidence based health research findings will be utilized by policy makers.

• Linkages will be strengthened among all the sectors, institutions, disciplines, and communities.

• Financial resources from HMG. INGO's, NGO's, donor agencies and other sectors will be mobilized for health research promotion.• The National Health Research System will provide the

structure and function for networking/collaborating with all health researcher/research institutes. The mechanism for planning, coordinating and managing health research resources and activities will be strengthened. At the same time, emphasis will be given to policy/ system analysis, communication, resource flow and mobilization and management of resources.

Some of the policy aims • To emphasize ethical practice in all health research

to achieve equity and social justice.• To augment health researches in the priority areas set

by the National Health Policy and to provide advice based on evidence to His Majesty's Government of Nepal for formulating appropriate health policies. • To promote health research in all aspects.• To facilitate collaboration and networking with all

major stakeholders involved in health research at the national level.

• To enable, support and sustain human, financial, technical and other resources required for health research.• To promote inter/intra - sectoral participation

in health research.• To secure international linkages and

collaboration for health research. To establish a National Health Research System.

Research priorities • Research priority setting is acknowledged to be a key

function of Health research systems and is perceived to be an important process in terms of ensuring the alignment of research funding with national evidence needs[5]. Ideally health policy and systems research (HPSR) priorities would emerge through priority setting processes.

• However priority setting for health research is often not performed well - or not performed at all. A survey by the WHO of more than 550 policy makers and almost 1, 900 researchers in 13 low- and middle-income countries found that about a third of policy-makers researchers and users of research interviewed said that there was either no

rational process to set health research priorities in their country or that they were unaware of how priorities were identified or set [6]. • “A workshop on Priority Setting Methodologies in Health

Research was held at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland from 10th -11th April 2008. The overall workshop objective was to develop practical proposals for user friendly methodologies for priority setting in health research for application in developing countries."

• Systematic investigation and development of guidance on how stakeholder engagement affects research priority identification.

Setting priorities• A Priority Research Agenda will be developed in tune with

the National Programs, and relevant to national and local needs, based on the following principles:

a. Responsiveness: Current and emerging issues such as Demographic and Epidemiologic Transition, emerging scientific developments such as Modern Biotechnology (Genomics, Human Genetics, New Drug Development, Stem Cell research), Health system research, Health Economics, Behavioural and social issues, Emerging and re-emerging infections, etc. and the priorities of the National Health plan will guide the Research Agenda.

b.Integration: The integration of the National Research Plan with the priorities and aspiration of society is essential for the ready utilization of the results of research.

c. Multidisciplinarity and Linkages:Health Research, in addition to the field of Health, intersectorally encompasses Education, Environment, Ecology, Social and Behavioural, Sciences, Population, Agriculture, Trade, Commerce, in addition to the physical, chemical, biological and mathematical sciences. This multidisciplinarity will be reflected in the national health research plan.

d. Social and Behavioral Sciences and Health Economics:In order to make meaningful health policies, plans and programs and to make medical technology useful and accessible to the community, it is essential to understand the community's perception of health problems, health services and health care providers. Social and Behavioral sciences and Health Economics are integral to health research and will beactively promote.e. Focus on vulnerable and disadvantaged populations:There shall be a special emphasis on vulnerable groups like scheduled castes, tribal populations, unorganized labor, women, children, adolescents.

Strategy for evaluation of the Health Research System

• In view of the plurality of the health research system, the strategy for assessment must have a much broader perspective in dealing with multiple stakeholders of research funding agencies, leaders, managers and research investigators in the system. The proposed research architecture is expected to contribute to the strategic vision and goals of the health research system that can be assessed against a set of criteria.

• The following criteria are proposed :

• Robustness: (property of being strong, withstand adverse condition)

• Competence and Effectiveness: (ability to do something in effective manner)

• Credibility and Accountability:• Ability to Champion the cause of Health Research for

Development:• Ability to Generate Research Funding:• Research Governance and Management:• Cost-effectiveness:(productive in relation to)

Conclusion• As a whole this gives us a good vision and

knowledge about the heath policies and research.Hence different rules are to be followed

during all these process from governmental as well as nongovernmental sectors to produce the proper

outcomes in the research of particular topics. Besides these researcher should concerned about

various factors that are not visible in order to achieve the better performance .

Reference :1.National Health Research Policy of Nepal.rtf2.Priority setting and health policy and systems research Michael K Ranson* and Sara C Bennett http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content/7/1/273.An overview of methodology and high level analysis of WHO led health research priority setting exercises. Author: Roderik F. Viergever Edited by: Robert Terry and Malebona P. Matsosoterryr@who.int4.National Health Research Policy of Nepal Published by: Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC) E-mail: nhrc@healthnet.org.np Website: http://www.nhrc.org.np RamshahPath, Kathmandu

5. Working Group on Priority Setting: Priority setting for health research: lessons from developing countries. Health policy and planning 2000, 15(2):130-6.

6. World Health Organization: World Report on Knowledge for Better Health: Strengthening Health Systems. Geneva:WHO; 2004.